Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene 🇳🇴

Step back into Norway's merchant past at the Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene in Bergen. This compelling museum highlights the history of the Hanseatic League, an overseas office of German merchants established at Bryggen by 1360. Your visit takes you inside Finnegården—a preserved wooden building constructed after a devastating 1702 fire—and Schøtstuene, the assembly halls where merchants cooked their meals because open fires were banned in other Bryggen structures.

Inside, you can explore an authentic trading room featuring a merchant's office, guestroom, and sleeping quarters for the young boys who lived and worked here. Founded in 1872 by Johan Wilhelm Olsen and expanded with the Murtasken building designed by Conrad Fredrik von der Lippe, the collection offers an incredible window into centuries of trade. Every item on display is entirely original, gathered directly from Bryggen and nearby farms by Johan Wilhelm Wiberg and curated by his son, Christian Koren Wiberg, before coming under municipal care in 1916.

It is an essential stop for travelers wanting to experience authentic historical Bergen.

What to see at Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene

• Finnegården, a conserved wooden Bryggen building dating to after the 1702 fire
• Schøtstuene assembly halls, where merchants cooked meals away from wooden living spaces
• Authentic trading room with a merchant's office, guestroom, and boys' sleeping berths
• 100% original artifacts collected directly from Bryggen and surrounding regional farms
• Murtasken building designed by renowned architect Conrad Fredrik von der Lippe

Visiting tips

Be sure to visit Schøtstuene to see where merchants gathered and cooked, as open flames were strictly prohibited in the other wooden buildings of Bryggen.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Morning

How to get there & what’s nearby

Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene is easy to reach on Bergen’s public transport, and pairs naturally with University Museum of Bergen and St Mary's Church. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Bergen travel guide.